I drove to Granada Hills today to buy a rug for Lush Floral Design head-honcho, Ngoc Nguyen. To get there I used the Ronald ReaganFreeway, named after an actor from Illinois who made some films which are widely regarded as being universally unmemorable. The ex-actor, after retiring from Hollywood, went on to sell weapons to the Iranian dictatorship using the profits to arm death squads in Central America. He also used funds designated for cleaning up toxic waste to fund instead the campaigns of sympathetic politicians and he closed institutions for the mentally ill, which flooded the street with hundreds of thousands of crazy new homeless people that now fill our jails, sidewalks and parks.

In 1959 Nikita Khrushchev visited the United States with two requests which revealed the Hollywood movie-lover in the famous shoe-banger:

It is neighbored by Sylmar to the east, Mission Hills to the southeast, North Hills to the southeast, Northridge to the southwest, Porter Ranch to the west and the Santa Susana Mountains to the north.

GRANADA HILLS HISTORY

The Santa Susana Mountain area now part of Granada Hills was home to the Tataviam at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards. By 1810, the Spaniards had subjugated them entirely. From 1821 to 1848, the area was ruled by Mexico. After that, it became part of the US.

In 1916, oil was discovered in the area then simply known as "Granada," near the northern end of Zelzah Avenue. The area was primarily used for dairy farms and produce. In the early part of the 20th Century, apricots, beans, grapefruits, lemons, oranges and walnuts were the main crops. In 1927, Granada was officially founded. The "Hills" was added around 1942.

Granada Hills became something a a hot spot for modernist architecture during the middle of the century. The Balboa Highlands tract, was designed by architect Joseph Eichler. Many of the homes in the area have been featured in movies, TV shows and commericials.

GRANADA HILLS IN MOVIES AND TV

Knots Landingwas actually Crystalaire Place in the Knollwood Country Club Estates.

In the 5th Episode of 24, Jack Bauer rescues a man from a crashed helicopter... in Granada Hills.

Many scenes from Fast Times at Ridgemont Highand My Tutorwere filmed in Granada Hills along Chatsworth Street. Both films deal with High School.

Granada Hills isn't served by many restaurants. Restaurants in the neighborhood in part evince the diversity the neighborhood's ethnic demographics, which are currently 56% White (mostly Germanic), 21% Latino (mostly Mexican) and 16% Asian (mostly Korean).

If you feel like a drink, there are even fewer bars in the neighborhood, just Jug Jug Sports Bar and Restaurant, Oh Grady’s, Sugar Suite and Tender Glow.

GRANADA HILLS PARKS

Granada Hills doesn't have many parks either. However, O'Melveny Park is a doozie! It was C.J. Ranch until it was named for one of the original members of the California State Parks Commission, Henry W. O'Melveny. It was purchased in 1941 by attorney John O'Melveny, later turned over to the city and is the second largest park in the city, after Griffith Park.

OTHER STUFF TO SEE

One other thing to check out is White Oak Avenue. The area between the San Fernando Mission and San Jose Street was declared an Historical Landmark back in 1966 due to the 101 Himalayan deodar cedar trees dubbed "Christmas Tree Lane."